


So Many Colors in the Morning Sun

by Amiyusesha



Series: Dragons AU [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dragons, Gen, M/M, Shapeshifting, Species Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24730393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amiyusesha/pseuds/Amiyusesha
Summary: A newly formed dragon clan plans to address the previous political entanglements of one of their members.edited 9-6-20 to add a line that somehow got left out when the work was transferred to AO3.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Dragons AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628293
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	So Many Colors in the Morning Sun

**Author's Note:**

> So… when I first started this it was meant to be a completely self-indulgent 3,000 word answer to a prompt. I finished the first 3,000 words, realized I had massively underestimated the length I would need and wrote another 3,000 words for a different prompt. That wasn’t nearly enough either. Currently I am expecting to write between 15,000 and 20,000 words for this. Here is the next installment.

Phil returned that evening

“I see the carriage is gone,” he said. “Do we have anything we have to do because of it?”

“I’d much rather discuss our background story for the queen and her court,” Tony replied. “What kinda of childhood do we want to claim?”

“I was a third child, I don’t know if that’s what you want to base your story on,” Phil said.

“My childhood was highly unusual,” replied Steve. “I don’t think it should form a basis for this story.”

“Oh! Can I talk about the standard draconic marriage and childhood then?” Tony asked Steve. “And you can correct anything the books got wrong, or which is outdated.”

“Books?” Phil asked.

“Oh, yeah. Books! I could spend the rest of a human lifetime reading, and not make it through all of Steve’s books. His library is amazing!”

“So they did end up here.” Said Phil.

“Yeah. That’s why I stopped looking for the artifacts. The cavern Tony calls the Triskelion room is mostly natural. I was resting there in between outings, trying to decide where I wanted to winter for the year when I woke up surrounded by the treasures of my clan. I had thought the high council had found some way around the spells the clan elders crafted to protect them from theft, but whatever they did, it didn’t work forever.”

“It didn’t work at all.” Phil replied. “They spent decades with your clan home abandoned while the whispering and rumors of corruption grew, and were certain enough of their might to invite representatives of all the other clans to the renaming, when the old medallion was torn down and the new placed. As soon as the cavern was claimed by its new owners the caverns rang with noise, as if we were hearing every scrape of metal on rock since the first tunnel was excavated, then a thundering roar as if every dragon who had ever lived there screamed the word murderer at the same time. The caverns shook as if in the throes of a massive earthquake and many hallways and balconies collapsed under the strain. When it was over, and we all dug ourselves out, it was revealed that every book and treasure which had been stored there in its centuries of habitation had vanished without a trace. I was still a squire at the time, but I asked my Knight if he still had faith in the judgement of the high council when even the stones we walked on were wise enough to see the corruption of their decisions. The fact that none of the elders of any of the clans called for an investigation of _any_ of the events surrounding the rejection of its inheritor by a clan home started the first rustlings of unrest that I was aware of… though as I did my research I discovered that you had been causing unrest and questions from the day you were fledged.” Phil studied Steve quietly for a few moments after that.

“So how was your childhood so unusual that it caused political unrest?” Nat asked. From his position under Steve’s wing Tony felt the larger dragon tense, then start to relax with some gentle nuzzling.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want,” Tony murmured gently.

“It’s neither much of a story, nor very interesting. It was used by my clan leader to highlight the … ah… short sightedness of the high council, which is a council made up of all the elders of all the recognized clans.”

“Except for you,” Phil interjected.

“What?” Steve looked at him confusedly for a moment.

“The collapse of the ancient caverns and the relocation of the clan treasures to your location proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are the proper heir to the title and that their acceptance of the interruption of your trial by combat was a dishonor on every clan leader who accepted it. A murder sits in a clan seat that should be yours, and no dragon can deny that the ancient laws have been violated.” Phil explained. Tony whistled a soft surprised sound, and Phil looked at him in startlement. “Did he never tell you how he came to leave?”

“I’ve never been certain how to talk about it.” Steve admitted, clearly unsettled and a bit ashamed.

“There is no shame for you in that story!” Phil protested.

“I allowed my clan to go unavenged.” Steve replied.

“You challenged the murderer to trial by combat!”

“A trial by combat I didn’t win.”

“Only because the circle was violated by supporters of your enemy as soon as it was clear the murderer was losing! And the council allowed the challenge to be interrupted! Instead of excising the murderer’s dishonor every one of them was tainted by it,” Phil practically spat the words, as if they left a bad taste in his mouth.

“There should have been something…”

“No.” Phil interrupted. “You did everything you could possibly have done. You were one dragon against an entire corrupt council. Every dragon who stood aside and let you face the corruption alone deserves to feel shame, but you did everything it was possible to do to bring that murderer to justice.”

“I… well…”

“You should carve the clan medallion into the headstone where it belongs.”

“We should discuss whether we want to change the medallion or not first.”

“Change the medallion? That happens?” Tony asked.

“Whenever there are big changes like a new elder coming to power, or a new lair on new lands, or even enough new blood lines joining a clan the medallion can be changed.”

“The star was one of the first clans, and their medallion has stayed the same for millennia. I vote against changing it.” Phil announced.

“It is the plainest of medallions because of that.” Steve pointed out. “Even Tony noticed when he was reading through some of the histories.”

“I think the star will make a nice focal point among the more complex carvings on the headstone.” Tony answered. “Plus, leaving it as is shows that you refuse to be changed by the actions of the corrupt, and I like that message. Hey! Does this mean the rest of us get shields too? Are we squires right now, or knights?”

“I was a knight in my own clan, but I abandoned my shield when I left them. I refused to carry their colors any longer.”

“We should make shields. We should paint more rings on Steve’s shield! Steve! Your shield needs more rings. You are a clan elder now, not a captain! I could have fixed that for you at any time, and you never said!”

“How many ranks are there in dragon clans?” Nat asked.

“Squire, Knight, Captain, Elder,” Tony recited. “Steve carries a Captain’s shield, with two rings around the medallion. He needs another ring now. Phil needs a shield with… two rings. We are a small clan, but he is definitely a captain among us, since most of us don’t even know how to fly yet. Newly fledged dragons are squires. They get badges when they can fly, and shields when they get promoted to knight hood, but if I am making shields I should probably make four so we have them when we need them. Maybe five so we have a spare? There is magic on Steve’s shield, but I don’t know how to replicate that.”

“I somehow doubt that will take you very long to figure out,” Clint said dryly.

“It is usually ten years from hatchling to squire, then another ten from squire to knight. You are all fully fledged, if I were to have first seen you at a gathering I would think you young knights of around the same age as Phil,” said Steve.

“So five shields then, I suspect all of us are around twenty,” said Tony.

“It isn’t just age. All knights should know the basics of fighting,” Phil objected.

“Tony can fence. That isn’t the type of fighting that squires are usually taught, but I would say everyone here is past their squire years.” Steve mused. “We just spent them very differently.”

“Clint is excellent with a bow, and Nat is deadly with knives.” Phil commented.

“Yes, exactly. I would go so far as to say everyone should have captain’s rings. If I am clan elder, then all four of you are reporting directly to me. Phil is captain of combat and training. Tony is captain of facilities and forging. Nat is captain of the watch,” Steve paused and glanced at her for confirmation. When she nodded he glanced over at Clint, “Which leaves Clint in charge of supplies. We don’t have anyone to head childcare, but that isn’t really an issue right now. If I’m going to have three rings, all of you get two.”

“What were you captain of before?” Tony asked a bit uncertainly.

“Facilities. These halls and tunnels are not the first I have carved and tended,” Steve said. “The magic in the shield is so that I can use it to…sssssssssssssssivvvvvvvvvver… force melted rock into existing structures to reinforce them? Without damaging the shield.”

“So the shields aren’t just for combat?” Clint asked.

“No. We use them for everything. Digging, reinforcing, carrying, forging, fighting, dancing…”Phil trailed off in thought.

“Decorating,” Steve contributed. “The hallway leading to the nursery in the old lair was lined in shields painted with the stories of our ancestors.”

“Memorials,” Phil added. “When dragons die they are buried with their shields and a shield shaped mound is built over them.”

“Dragons wear our shields on our backs at gatherings so that guards looking down from higher balconies can identify our clan affiliation,” Steve finished. “They are an adult dragon’s most important possession.”

“So more than five?” Tony asked.

“Five should be fine. We don’t need to decorate with them here. I like painting the walls.” 

“Mmmm, and the spells are in the books, and I should have lots of time to practice with them over the winter…”

“We have rather gotten off the subject of our imaginary childhood.” Nat commented.

“Matings within a clan are rather frowned upon…” Steve began.

“That whole inbreeding issue,” Tony added. “It didn’t used to be that way according to the oldest books.”

“So dragons look to meet others at the gatherings and festivals. Most of the dragons any given clan sends anywhere else are unmated. When two dragons decide they want to try things out they head off on a… Honeymoon? I think is the human term? They make a nest for themselves, stock up on food, and try to lay their eggs at the beginning of winter. The eggs need to be brooded constantly, but that is no hardship in winter and early spring if the dragons have properly prepared. If they timed things right the eggs will hatch in the summer when fresh food is plentiful. Hatchlings don’t have to be tended constantly the same way eggs do. They mostly sleep and eat. That gives the parents more time to hunt for them so they can grow properly. Once the offspring fledge the parents present them to a clan elder, usually of one of their clans, but presenting offspring is one of the ways dragons can change clans without negative repercussions. If the clan elder accepts the fledgling he gives it an adult name and it becomes a squire in that clan. Any future eggs the couple produces can be laid in the clan nursery and raised by the clan as a whole.”

“Sounds much easier.” Clint commented.

“Yes,” Phil agreed. “Most first time parents promise their offspring to one of their clans in advance. The promised clan then helps provide the parents with food for the growing fledglings.”

“So what was so different with your childhood, Steve?’ Natasha asked.

“One of my parents abandoned our nest as soon as my sibling and I had hatched. He returned to his clan claiming that there was no dishonor in his actions as the hatchlings were not viable- too sickly and weak to survive to adulthood. His clan accepted that without any investigation. When my other parent sought assistance from the two clans in question he was denied. The clans both said they would not aid in the delusions of a parent unwilling to admit his… or is it hers once there is offspring? Offspring were too defective to be allowed to live. That parent refused to abandon us to return to his? Her? Parent clan and instead devoted themself to hunting and tending us alone. I hate to admit that things got better after my sibling died, but I doubt any single dragon could bring home enough food to bring two growing hatchlings to fledge. My parent decided early on that we would not return to either of the clans that abandoned us, and we had settled on Star clan before my sibling died. When my parent died the winter before I fledged I remembered those discussion, and the route my parent described to us so often. I launched myself from the nest hoping that my wings would be strong enough to carry me there, and at least didn’t get myself killed on the way there. I’m really not sure why the clan elder accepted and named me. I was tiny, starving and more than half dead when I crashed into the lair doors having no idea of how to sound the bell. If he’d left me out there for the night I would have been dead by morning. Instead he named me on the spot and sent a team out to give my parent a proper burial with a star clan shield when I admitted I hadn’t managed to do anything like that.”

“Oh, Steve, that must have been…”

“It was a terrible childhood, I guess. I never really thought about it like that until later. I understood that it was terrible for my parent who stayed, but I never had anything else to compare it too? I do know that most dragons complain about their years as a squire, all hardwork and study, but I never understood the complaints… I guess they just didn’t have worse to compare it too.”

“You should probably have a childhood like Steve’s should have been. With three living hatchlings your parents would definitely have pledged you to a clan early for the help in providing food. Any gaps in your knowledge of dragon things can be blamed on inexperienced parents who were working too hard to feed you to worry about your education, and the fact that you had no input on clan choice would explain why you were so eager to leave. Star clan was famous for its dedication to innovation, with Tony as a sibling the incredibly conservative nature of your first clan…Purple Mountain Clan is famous for being conservative… would have been something to escape.” Phil offered.

“I’ve read about Purple Mountain Clan, and their refusal to change even as their old fishing spots no longer offer food enough for the clan. I’d have offered new ideas, been shot down, and become desperate to leave.” Tony added thoughtfully.

“Clint and I tried to protect you from judgement, but it was obvious the clan had no future. We wanted to leave, and we wanted to stay together. Clint could have gone with Phil to his clan…” Nat started.

“Eagle.” Phil contributed.

“But we could not have all gone together, and after speaking with Phil about his clan we knew they would be no more open to Tony’s ideas than our own was.” Clint continued.

“Everyone knows what happened to Star Clan, so we took the risk of crossing an ocean and a continent to reach Steve and pledge ourselves to Star clan. Technically there should be fledglings before any of this is concrete, but I doubt any humans will ask us about that, and if they do we just say that we are working on that.” Tony finished.

“Say that it is a private matter.” Steve disagreed. “No human has ever asked me for more information after I responded like that. Eggs, hatchlings and fledglings are clan business only, and we don’t talk about them outside of the lair.”

“Sounds Good.” Nat said. “Do we want to talk about dealing with Tony’s family now?”

“No.” Tony replied firmly, muzzle wrinkled in disgust.

“Do you want to let Obadiah do whatever he chooses without your input?” Steve asked.

“No.” Tony replied equal firmly.

“I think we are going to have to do one or the other,” Clint commented.

“No.” Tony repeated.

“Perhaps if you frame the conflict for us so that we can understand?” Steve offered gently.

“There isn’t much to frame?” Tony sighed. “My dad was a jerk. He wanted us to be just like him, and Gregory obliged. I did too, for a while. It was the only I way I really knew how to be? Mom had tried to live differently, but she died when I was young. Obadiah encouraged the awfulness. With the three of us constantly tearing at each other or drunk, he could do what he wanted with the workers. Greg paid to have me horrifically killed. I didn’t die but I did realize there wasn’t much in my life worth living for. I tried to make some changes at home, and learned that the rest of the family was actually happy with their lifestyles of alcoholism and betrayal. If I wanted anything else I was going to either have to leave, or do it over their dead bodies. So I approached Steve and tricked him into letting me move in here.”

“You couldn’t do anything about it, so you left. Now Obadiah wants you back?” Clint asked.

“I don’t get it either. It has to be because he won’t inherit. If my father and Gregory really are gone the estate either comes to me, or goes to some distant cousin… Morgan maybe? If Morgan is still around. Obadiah wants someone he can control, not some unknown… Probably. I won’t know what sort of a mess it is until I get there, or probably am there for some time. Everyone will just repeat Obadiah’s story at first, most of them because it’s the only story they know.” Tony said.

“I don’t want you searching for Obadiah’s secrets without someone to guard your back.” Steve said.

“You can’t exactly come with me,” Tony pointed out. “You won’t fit through any of the doors or hallways inside the manor.”

“I could,” Natasha pointed out. “Clint and Phil can guard the lair and deal with our political necessities. Steve can hang around on the roof to provide back up if we need it, and I will guard your back.”

“Obadiah will be suspicious if I tell him I have a bodyguard,” Tony objected.

“So you don’t tell him I’m a body guard. You say ‘I was recently married’ then hand me down out of Steve’s shield and introduce me. He’ll assume I’m your new spouse. That’ll also block any attempt on his part to marry you off to some relative of his to manipulate himself into your inheritance.” Nat replied.

“I guess…?”

“Can anyone think of a better plan?” Steve asked. After a round of negative responses he turned to Tony and continued. “How long will it take Obadiah to return to your former clan home?”

“Uh…” Tony hesitated for a moment. “The carriage horses looked great, though they are probably a bit worse for the wear after meeting a dragon. Two days if he pushes them, three if he lets Happy set their pace.”

“So we have two days to relax and plan. We can get to know each other, I can stock the lair up with food, and everyone can explore the lair. Nat, I noticed that you didn’t sleep in any of the existing rooms. What can I do to make the lair more comfortable for you?”

“I… there is nothing wrong with the room I started in, I’m just used to being able to see around our camp at night. It’s been a long time since I slept in a building, and the few I do sleep in are wood, and have windows.”

“Would… I could fit three rooms like the hybrid rooms on this level around the trillium room. Windows up that high shouldn’t open, it would make them week against strong winds, but they would give the best view of the area around our lair.”

“I… would like that, but there isn’t any need to…”

“I want you to be happy here. And… well, I like the building and this gives me some direction. I was feeling kinda weird about building endless rooms that I didn’t know would ever be occupied for dragons that probably don’t exist yet.”

“Oooh! We should give them a full tour Steve! I bet Phil would love to see the Library, and the Nursery!” Tony exclaimed, then proceed to drag the rest of the newcomers around the Lair, while Steve excused himself to go start on Nat’s room.

**Author's Note:**

> Dragon rock is based on chimney rock gneiss extrusions. It’s a more than 300-foot tall rock formation located near (65.6 km) an alternate history version of Vancouver about where Alouette Lake’s South Beach area is now. The dam exists (sort of) but was built by Steve and Tony. Peggy’s capital city of Blenbury is located around modern Coquitlam. The Stark family holds modern day Annacis Island 60 ish km from dragon rock, In this version of history it is called Shikaakwa after the wild leeks that grow along its borders. Nat will have 75-mile panoramic views.
> 
> Dragons count the levels of a living space from the top down. This is practical for them since tunneling down to add levels is pretty much always possible, but since they use existing rocks to carve their lairs out of building up is not really an option. Dragon Rock, Otherwise known as Star Clan Lair, is still incomplete. Steve has lived there for a bit over fifty years, and for most of that time he was alone. As the clan grows his plans for some of the areas might change. The Chimney rock he is slowly hollowing out is not quite 400 ft tall. I attempted to provide a very loose silhouette to go with the description, but could not get it to display correctly.
> 
> Floor 0: The spire is topped by a bowl shaped depression. This space would fit three Steve’s or more than six smaller dragons comfortably.  
> Floor 1: The Trillium is a mostly natural tri-lobal hall that allows access onto the flight platform. There is space for more construction on this level. It will most likely be the first level fully developed as Nat wants bedrooms with views of potential oncoming threats.  
> The Central Hall: The living levels of the Lair are constructed around a central hall three levels tall with balconies at each level where clan gatherings and meetings are held. The Hall is complete (bar some decorative carvings) as are most of the hallways surrounding it. The actual living quarters that are meant to attach to those hallways exist only in Steve’s imagination at this point.  
> Floor 2: The Upper Hall will eventually be surrounded by rooms for mated couples.  
> Floor 3: The Middle Hall will eventually be surrounded by rooms for squires.  
> Floor 4: The Main Hall is the most complete of the living levels. Three dragon/ human hybrid rooms surround the Hall, and a circular hallway loops around them with eleven completed rooms for Knights. This is also the level that gives access to the courtyard, which was built for meetings with human guests.  
> Floor 5: The Library is a two story, beautifully designed storage area for the treasures of Star Clan. This was the first area Steve ever considered finished, and he finished it before finishing anything else. The decorative elements here are echoed elsewhere in the lair. It does not fill its two story area by any means and could easily be expanded.  
> Floor 6: The Nursery is currently shaped like a figure eight with one lobe for eggs and one for hatchlings. More rooms could easily be added on this level.  
> Floor 7: The Forge has seen the most development of any of the lair areas in the last few years. Before Tony came to live in the lair it was mostly a carved out hollow waiting to be developed. Now it is a workshop any inventor would envy. Several of the largest rooms have been carved out into two levels.


End file.
